How to Plan Your Best Month Ever

Have you ever made it all the way through a month, and thought…”where did it all go??” I know I have! Sometimes there is so much going on, yet it feels like nothing got done. Then I start the next month feeling pretty crappy about my lack of progress towards my goals. Please tell me I’m not alone in this!

Luckily, I really feel like I’ve cracked the code for super awesome month planning. I won’t lie and say that I do this every month, but when I do…man do things get awesome! Hopefully, you’ll find some helpful nuggets in here for your own super awesome amazing spectacular month! I think that people often focus on one specific type of goal, but we are trying to have the best month ever…so let’s break it up into even more areas! When I set my goals for the month, I focus on 5 categories. Let’s break those down a bit, shall we?

Financial goals

These are the goals associated with saving money, paying off debt, income, etc.

Relationship goals

Do something nice for those that you love! Set a date for this, so you don’t forget when life gets busy.

Work goals

What things do you want to accomplish this month in the job you have now?

Hobby Goals

What things do you LOVE doing that you want to do more of? Set a date for it at least once this month!

Passion project goal

This one is my favorite. This is the goal that you set for that thing that you’re just so darn passionate about. For me…it’s this blog! It’s not my full-time job yet, and most people probably don’t get why I do it, BUT I love it!

“Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.” –Mary Oliver

What the heck is a goal anyway, though?? The word “goal” sometimes can leave me feeling a little scared and anxious at the thought of having to accomplish something that might be hard. You too? 😉 Whew, glad I’m not alone. LOL. Let’s break it down a little bit to make it less scary.

For our purposes here, a goal is simply something that you want to accomplish. This is something that you are making specific steps to meet, and usually there is a plan in place to make this happen! That’s it! It’s something that we are going to accomplish with a plan. 🙂 And, you KNOW that I wouldn’t leave you hanging without a plan to get it all done, right? Check out some tips below, girl!

Start with a calendar

I have found that a wall calendar or a large spread in a planner works best for this, but you can use whatever you want! I have also drawn my own calendar in a notebook or used the Awesome Note app for those months when I’m feeling a bit more techy. Having a large calendar makes it easy to write lots of stuff in without making things look cramped + it’s nice to be able to see it all at once.

Get some fun colors

You know I’m a fan of color! Color is a great way to easily spot the type of goal that you’re looking for on your calendar and just a way to keep it fun and easygoing! Goal setting can get a little overwhelming, so I encourage you to do whatever feels right to make it feel more lighthearted.

Pick dates for your goals

So, you’ve decided on the goals that you want to achieve, and now it’s time to write them in on your calendar. I know that you’re going to want to accomplish them like…now, but try to pick a realistic date that leaves some room for life to happen 😉

Work backwards

Think, what is it going to take to accomplish your goals? Think of some small milestones that you can use to gauge your progress, and mark those on the calendar too! This breaks your goals into smaller steps making them more manageable! For example: If I was going to set a goal to save 300 dollars this month, I would need to break that into smaller chunks to make it easier to swallow. So I might set a goal of 100 dollars a week and mark those dates on my calendar. “But that’s 400 dollars?!”, you say…yep! Remember that we want to leave some room for life to happen. If I’m planning for a little more, then I’ll be sure to hit my goal or at least come closer if I don’t hit it for some reason.

Speaking of not hitting your goal…

This is so unbelievably NOT the end of the world, but I know how it can feel like it sometimes! If you ever don’t hit one of your goals, look at it this way…you’re so much closer than you were before. Girlfriend, you tried! Take a look at the goal and evaluate it a bit. Are there some things you can tweak to get you closer next month? This isn’t a race or a competition with anyone else, so don’t feel pressured to be perfect, okay?

Pick a time of day to check your calendar

You don’t want to be staring at your goals all day, because that is SURE to overwhelm you. Pick a time of day to check out your calendar for the day or the next day. I suggest morning or evening! Take a look at that bad boy, make a mental note of how you’re going to get it all done for the day, and get on with your bad self. 😉

Overwhelm hack!

I am the first girl on the block to get overwhelmed and quit. Lucky for you, I’m working on that, and I’ve got a trick for you! With all the goals and the steps that you have written on your calendar to help you get there, you are bound to have days with multiple steps on them. Never plan more than 3 per day! This will keep things manageable!

Don’t forget…

Self care time and appointments! Don’t forget to write down appointments and events on your calendar as well. This is now your go-to-hub for all things productivity. ALSO, don’t forget to take time for self-care as well. You’re going super hard on your goals this month, so you need to make sure to take time to rest. Go ahead. Plan that spa day and grab a coffee 😉

All that, and you’re still feeling a little confused on what kind of goals you should be writing down? Well, it’s different for everyone, but below is an example of something that I might use for my month!

Financial – save 300 dollars this month

Relationships – kiss my husband for AT LEAST 10 seconds in a row per day

Work – get qualified a new watch station

Hobby – go to a paint night at a local restaurant

Passion project –host my first webinar for my blog

There you have it! Let’s chat! Comment below with your goals for this month so we can all cheer you on + don’t forget to PIN this blog post down below if you liked it! Share the love with your friends 🙂

If this post encouraged you, check out my new Ebook! It’s FULL of tips on how to balance mom life, and I think you’ll enjoy it!